Wilting Gerudo Flower
by RandomButLoved
Summary: Dear Hero, you must save the Gerudo Flower from the desert. She is Wilting to protect you but she must not die in this way. You have been shown your past with her and now you must create your future with this special Flower. Please, dear Hero of Time, you must save your love - the Wilting Gerudo Flower. Rated T for dark taking on Gerudo culture through torture. LinkxOC.


_**Author's Note:**_ So I don't know how or where I got this idea from but when I wrote it on holiday, it went rather dark - darker than I thought anyway. Still, this story takes place in Ocarina of Time with Link and Chloe as usual. This goes back into Chloe's dark past and shows a very dark taking on Gerudo culture through violence. Do not go into this lightly because some of the themes can be upsetting (I was changed after writing this, I will tell you) and if you recognize the picture, it's from LeilaEditer's "Desert Rose".

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the rights to The Legend of Zelda, only the rights to any OC that I create.

_This story was updated on Friday September 27th_

Wilting Gerudo Flower

_An Ocarina of Time FanFiction_

(Link's POV)

"So out of everything we've been through – and I mean _everything_ – this has got to be the most worrying yet." I state as we ride towards the Gerudo's Fortress.

Chloe looks up, melting under to mid-day heat as she replies: "Really? I thought it would've been Ruto's flirting and the Water Temple. Why would this place be worrying?"Apparently she hasn't figured it out yet – not that I blame her, that is.

We drop out horses off by the carpenter's tent for a quick rest in the shade. "Well, all of the Gerudo except Ganondorf are female, right?" She nods. "And with him gone, I'll be surrounded by women and—"

She quickly steps in, not fully grasping my point. "Aw, how will poor Linky fare surrounded by women?" She wonders dramatically with a giggle. "Is that _really_ what you're worried about? Wow, you're such a man."

"No, you're over-dramatizing it. I mean that I don't want to be separated because I'm a boy and you're a girl. I don't want to think about what will happen in there because I'm me and you're you, I suppose." I clear up, the joke burning up in the heat.

She brings out some Lon-Lon Milk to share. "I just hope that they don't recognize us by our titles." I take a sip from the bottle, only to stop suddenly when she adds something else. "And besides, I should be the one who is worried about going back there after what happened to me as a child."

Her eyes widen as the words slip out, sending her into her usual moment where she forgets all that is going on around her and becomes stuck in memories that I she has never explained to me. I don't know much about her past, except that she is parent-less like me.

Though she reminds me of a girl I saw once in Kokiri Forest – even if I never saw her again.

Only this time, she snaps back into reality faster than usual and quickly mounts her horse; Luna. "Come on, Link; we should go. We shouldn't waste the sunlight while we have it. I have bad memories of being in this place at night." She says, no emotion or tone in her voice at all.

I slowly get to my feet, pushing the cork into the top of the bottle. "Are you sure you're okay? Like, _really_ okay? I mean, because you can take some time off if you would—"

"Let's just go already! The faster we get in there then the faster we can get out, okay?!" Stunned by her sudden outburst, I hand her the bottle and mount my mare, Epona, before following her into the Gerudo's Fortress.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"M-Maybe they aren't here. . ." She says nervously after apologizing for her outburst before.

I catch her arm just under the sign reading something in the Gerudo language. "Look, I know that you don't want to say what happened here and I completely understand that but just know that I'll be here for you no matter what, okay?"

She wraps her arms around my neck. "Thank-you, Link." Is all that she replies with.

I help her dismount once I have and we move over to a large wall, peeking around the edge to see many Gerudo women on guard around the Fortress. They have some tight security – as if they knew we were going to be here soon.

"I bet you all my rupees that you're staring." Chloe whispers, breathing out a tiny laugh.

I roll my eyes, shoving her slightly. "Shut-up, you. We've got to get through here. So if you stay back here with the horses and your weapons while I move around the Fortress to see what I can—"

There's a loud thudding sound, then the sound and feeling of falling and hitting the floor harshly. I think they've caught us. . .

I open my eyes that I never knew were closed in the first place, trying to reassure the girl next to me as much as possible though it doesn't really work. My voice chooses _now_ not to work.

I only put more effort in to move when three Gerudo women grab Chloe and pull her backwards – me falling under the same fate when I try to get her back. _Separation_, I think. _The only thing that neither of us wanted. . ._

_No!_ I won't let us be torn apart! Not after what she went through as a child – whatever that was. I rip myself free of the grasp the Gerudos have on me, sprinting towards her, reaching out as much as I can to save he—

Something or someone suddenly grabs my arm and spins me around, away from the person I am trying to get to. I slowly look up to see who it is, expecting to see a Gerudo woman trying to stop my struggles.

Yet I see someone I did _not_ expect to see.

"Ganondorf. . ." The dark-skinned male Gerudo stares down at me evilly, grinning at who is in their grasp.

Me.

Remembering that my left hand is about to glow in reaction to the bearer of the Triforce of Power which will give the game away, I quickly shove my hand behind me before he becomes suspicious.

"Well, this is certainly uplifting, isn't it? I have two birds, shall I kill them with one stone? It's what everyone is told." I don't expect him to literally bring out a rock for me to see.

As soon as my gaze locks onto the weapon in hand, I struggle twice as much – only to be thanked with the rock slamming into the side of my head. The last thing I am conscious of is Chloe's shriek as Ganondorf drops unceremoniously me and Gerudos drag me away.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Link! Wake up, please!" I groan as my eyes lazily open at the sound of my name being shouted down my ear.

Heat is the first thing that hits me. The air is stuffy and humid, so I must be inside a building in Gerudo Valley still – though I am not sure where and why.

Then it's pain. Pain coursing through my head for some reason. My senses soon regain themselves at the sound a familiar voice inside of my head.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

_"Well, this is certainly uplifting, isn't it? I have two birds, shall I kill them with one stone? It's what everyone is told."_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I remember now! I was knocked down by Gerudos, Chloe was taken, I tried to help, ran into Ganondorf and got knocked out. It all races back to me faster than Epona – wherever her and Chloe's horse are now.

Slowly looking around, the large Gerudo-styled room tells me that I've been captured and still in the Fortress but where's Chloe? Surely they recognize her.

I try to speak up for answers. "W-What's going. . .?" I barely manage to croak out of my dry throat before a woman, presumably Gerudo, halts me with a chilling statement.

"Speak and you'll regret it." _I better not speak then, huh?_ Still, just when I am beginning to relax just a little, somebody rams into me and wraps their arms around me.

I am only calmed and return the hug when I realise who it is. "Shush, it's okay, Chloe. We're okay, aren't—?" Oh, for Nayru's Love, I spoke! Pain spins around my head again and pounds infinitely, causing Chloe to lean away when she sees what I have done as well.

"I-It's okay." She softly touches the point on my head when the rock hit me, making me unintentionally flinch away violently. "T-The bleeding has stopped too, just about."

The pain finally decreases though I don't dare speak a word. The Gerudo was right, I _would_ regret speaking. I take a look around while she hugs me again, noticing a shadow moving closer to us.

Beginning to see who it most likely is, I release myself from her and turn her to the figure – watching sadly as she snuggles closer to me for protection.

"And I thought the ever-lasting love thing was just a myth." The what? I honestly have no idea what he is on about. "I guess that I am glad that I, the almighty King of the Gerudos, shall be the one to end it." Ganondorf casually strolls over, pulling Chloe away from me with an arrogant grin.

All I can do is mouth the words: "It's okay." to her with hopefully a reassuring smile.

"So you wanted to go all nostalgic on me, huh?" She asks as the male Gerudo releases her, confidence returning to her while mine is quickly diminishing into nothing.

"You could say that in a way." Ganondorf replies. "Well, if you cut him out of the picture." I shuffle backwards slightly when he gestures to me. What are them two going on about?

He steps towards her, a Gerudo knife in his palm ready to attack if he needs to. "Nevertheless, I want to ask you to become a part of what you did before you escaped from here with the help of those people you dare call parents." Wait, she was here? With her parents? What happened that freezes her every time that she thinks of this place?

I keep watching her paled face as he continues. "Still, your parents aren't here to be used against you any longer, are they?" _I never knew someone's face could even go that pale. . ._ "So now, if you do not do this, it will be the Hero of Time who will suffer like your parents did."

She sits there motionlessly – eyes wide, pale-faced, her jaw hanging open. What will happen to me? It can't be _that_ bad, can it? Although I never thought that she would answer so quickly. "I'll do it. Just don't you dare hurt him! You have to promise me that you won't hurt of kill him if I do this!"

_Maybe it could be as bad as I first thought. . ._

The Gerudo King smirks. "Of course. I shall make sure that he is not harmed."

Then, without thinking one bit, I leap to my feet and charge towards her – only to be pulled back down to the ground by two Gerudo women and a chain bound to my right arm. I try to free myself but it doesn't work; their grip is too strong on me.

"Can I speak with him first?" She wonders, looking at me, her voice growing quieter. "I need to explain things to him so he never comes back here." She wonders, hints of politeness in her sad tone.

"As much as I would want him to return here for you, yes, you can explain what you want to him." He replies, gesturing for the Gerudo to release me. I slump to the floor harshly and watch as the three Gerudos leave the room. Chloe quickly moves over to me yet it is I who hugs her instead of the other way around.

Thankfully, I don't feel any more pain as I speak. "I don't know what you've done but if it means that you're staying here alone then I won't leave – even if I have to be knocked out – because I don't even want to think about what will happen to you and—"

"Shush, Link. It's going to be okay, alright?" She says soothingly, sounding like a mother speaking to her child, making me feel a lot better even if I won't give up my fight.

I slowly pull away. "W-What's going to happen? What did you mean by this being nostalgic?" She looks away, only for her to force herself to look back up.

Gripping my hand, her fingers intertwining with some loose chain, she explains all. "Do you remember that time when Kokiri Forest was attacked by Gerudos? You had turned seven a week before." She wonders, looking deep into my eyes.

I nod slightly. "Yeah, but Saria made me forget most of it because of something that happened then." Something clicks. "Wait, how do you know that? And how did you know that it was my birthday a week before?" I hope to Hylia that she has these answers for me.

"You'll find out, okay? Now, what _do_ you remember about that day?"

Chewing my lip, I think back to it. "Um, I remember this really pretty girl with blonde hair getting taken away by this man that was, now that I think about it more, looked a lot like Ganondorf and—" I realise when she blushes at the part about the girl being pretty. "For the love of Din, no! That was you, wasn't it? Ugh, why didn't I do anything?!"

I try to hit myself but Chloe grabs my wrist before I can. "Link, you _did_ do something. You saved my life though it was only when I slept in your house that night that Ganondorf returned and captured me."

She turns around half-way and pulls her dress back, revealing a Gerudo-styled tattoo on her shoulder blade. "This means "Slave" in Gerudo. I got this when I was first bought here. I was taken because I am the descendant of the Heroine of Hyrule who helped defeat Demise. Ganondorf was given the idea to do this to avenge his ancestor's death."

She pauses to recollect herself. "But my parents found me and helped me escape, even if it ended killing them which it did. By then, I had been trained to be one of the best out the Gerudos there was while being tortured for the "crimes" committed by my ancestor. That went on for two and a half years."

T-Two and a half _y-years_?

"Since then, I have been on the run from Ganondorf – until I was saved by you, that is." She turns away like she is hiding more, which worries me a lot. I take my chained hand away and stroke her arm.

"I will get Ganondorf back for your parents and all of this, you know. I will get you out of here. I promise." I tell her, making her look up with tears in her eyes.

It takes a moment for her to reply. "My parents were tortured to death. And if I don't do this for Ganondorf then you'll be tortured to death also, but in front of me." She pauses, tears falling.

"Can I ask _what_ he wants you to do for him?"

She gulps. "He wants the information on the bearer of Courage, Wisdom and the Ocarina of Time. I'll be forced to become a Gerudo and . . . maybe even next in line for the throne." She wraps her arms around my waist. "I'll leave everything behind, Link. I can't give you up to him, I don't want to let you go but I have to."

I'm speechless. Utterly, _utterly_ speechless. Images fly through my mind of her beaten as Ganondorf forces information out of her, then her as Queen of the Gerudos in the same garb as them. It's too much.

"L-Link?"

"Yeah?"

She sniffs. "R-Remember when I asked you if you had ever seen me in the past before we drew the Master Sword and you said "No"?" I release her and nod, wiping her tears away. "It's because Saria m-made you forget me entirely w-without a choice to. T-That's why you don't remember the attack much."

I can only breathe out one word. "W-What?"

She exhales deeply. "Link, we've really been friends for seventeen years – not just seven because of our destiny. We were the best of friends until I was. . ." She can barely finish. ". . . until I was taken and you f-forgot me."

I think I remember something yet I just can't place my finger on what it is.

She shakes her head and suddenly orders without warning: "Link, please give the Ocarina of Time to me." She holds her free hand out, silently commanding me to carry out the order.

Being quiet myself, I bring out the sacred instrument and place it in her hand. Dragging her hand along it's smooth surface, she clarifies why she needs it. "There's a song called the Song of Healing which I was taught when I was little by my mom. If I play this for you then the seal causing your amnesia spell will be lost, making you remember the attack fully."

Though before I can reply, she takes the Ocarina to her lips and begins playing a beautiful song. And it isn't long before I start feeling tired – it is only then that she plays the Prelude of Light and I know that she is trying to get me away.

I try to stop her though she only smiles through her tears as she hands the Ocarina back to me.

"Sweet dreams." She whispers as a yellow light smashes the chain and covers my vision. "Good-bye. . ."

* * *

_"Where's the other girl?!" The Gerudo man barked at the small children. "There's one more who should be here! Now where is she?!"_

_The cowering children, known as the Kokiri, shook their heads. It was when Ganondorf grabbed one of the Kokiri girls that the Forest Sage, Saria, spoke up. "If you hurt my friends then I won't tell you where she is." She stated in a strong and clear manner."_

_The Gerudo leader growled as he dropped the girl, taking Saria off and ordering once again to know where the one he wanted was. "What do you need her for?" The Sage wondered, sternly staring the man down._

_"I only need to talk to her. She has something that I need back." Still worried about her friend, Saria had no choice but to tell the man of her whereabouts._

_"She'll be asleep in the Great Deku Tree's Meadow. She likes it there." Saria explained._

_The Gerudo King smiled. "Thank-you. I shall let you and your friends go as long as none of you interfere with my "chat"." The Kokiri girl nodded and ran off to her friends once more, the Gerudo women backing away as the children were safe._

_The desert man strolled through the all-too-happy forest and into the Meadow the child spoke of before, finding a tiny figure asleep in between the tufts of grass._

_He stood tall over the child, a large grin upon his features as he took in her details. The blonde-haired girl slept soundly in a long, knee-length green dress, a brown belt at a diagonal around her waist._

_So her shoes wouldn't fall off and wake her, the Gerudo cautiously slipped off the brown flats and left them in the grass as he lifted the sleeping girl over his shoulder – turning and beginning to leave the Meadow when a voice called out._

"Thou man from the desert, what is thy desire with the child?"_ He turned to see the large tree speaking to him; and very loudly too._

_"Shush! You'll wake her!" He whispered loudly when the girl began stirring from the noise._

_The Deku Tree sighed, this time _much_ quieter. _"Still, what is thy desire with the child? You should be happy that she has not been blessed with a Guardian Fairy yet."_ He repeated and added._

_The desert man moved the child around to see her, being scaring the living daylights out of when she sneezed on some pollen though did not wake. "There is something that I must take care of and she is a large part of it." He turned away from the great tree. "Still, thou must be off." He mimicked as he walked off._

_And to make matters _even_ worse, a boy suddenly popped out of nowhere. "Give me my friend back!" He demanded in a tone that caused the Gerudo to laugh._

_"Stop acting like a Hero because you aren't ever going to be one!" He shouted (though he was wrong), batting the child unconscious and slinging the girl back over his shoulder, waking her._

Drat. . .

_"Link, stop sleeping already. I bet you that it's mid-day now!" The girl commented sleepily, resting her elbow against the man's back and her chin on her hand. Although she soon snapped awake when she realised that he wasn't sleeping and the desert man took off._

_The girl started screaming what presumably was the name of the boy that he had just knocked out and began squirming around so much that he had to sort her out._

_He bought the girl off her his shoulder and shoved her against a nearby wall, stunning her while he bound her wrists with rope and covered her mouth with famous purple Gerudo silk – smirking at how horrified she looked._

_He tossed her back into her spot over his shoulder, laughing as he returned to the village, amused at her muffled calls and hopeless fighting. The girl watched as her friends saw her in the state she was in, wanting to help her yet too scared too which she didn't blame them for._

_She kept looking around for a way out, fighting the man as much as she could though soon tiring herself out, when she noted her friend from earlier creeping around the village – awake from being knocked out by the Gerudo._

_He placed his finger to his lips, signalling to her that she shouldn't alert anyone of his presence. The girl nodded and carried on fighting as she was before the man would become suspicious._

_She watched intently as her friends moved silently though the woods, gaining speed though not sound. As soon as he gained enough distance, he stopped quite suddenly – worrying in his kidnapped friend – however soon assured her when he charged at the man and slammed into him, sending the Gerudo staggering forwards and the girl tumbling to the ground._

_In a split second, both of the children were grabbed by Gerudo women and bought to their feet. The boy tried to reassure his friend with a smile yet it was soon wiped away the Gerudo man took the boy out the the woman's grasp by the throat._

_He grinned as his grasp tightened, listening to the cries of the girl he was so close to capturing as—_

_The child's left hand rose to try and unlock the grip around his neck, causing the holy symbol of the Triforce of Courage to appear in reaction to the Gerudo's Triforce of Power._

_"C-Courage?!" He dropped the boy in surprise and stared at his own hand, then the boy's, watching the marks fade._

_"L-Leave here and never come back!" The boy shouted, still recovering. "Don't _ever_ come and try to take her away from me ever again either!"_

_Knowing that he wouldn't be able to complete his plan at that point in time, he groaned loudly and ordered his followers to release the girl. He called his horse and quickly mounted it, speaking while his followers mounted their own horses._

_"You better protect that girl while you can because _he_," The man gestured to the boy bearing Courage. "Is the only reason that she wasn't taken _this time_. I will get her, and it will be _much_ sooner than you think."_

_And with that, the Gerudo army rode out of the forest almost soundlessly. As soon as they were gone, the girl's legs gave out on her – though her Hero briskly caught her. She raised her bounded arms over the boy's head and rested them on his shoulders, burying her head into his neck despite his sore neck._

_"T-Thank-you s-so much." She kept whispering into his neck when he managed to uncover her mouth._

_"Come on." The boy with Courage said quietly. "Let's get you inside."_

_Slowly but surely, he helped his shaky friend towards his home; not to be disturbed by their friends._

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

_The dark-skinned Gerudo stood tall above the sleeping Hylians. How stupid they were to think that they were safe from his clutches. The girl's arms, now untied, draped over her Hero – a smile of safety and security upon her features._

_How wrong she was about to be. . ._

_He retied the girl's wrists and ankles together to be sure after how many times she kicked him earlier in the day along with covering her mouth once more with Gerudo silk, knowing that she would cry out for help from her "Hero"._

_He quietly did the same with the boy, a grin upon the Gerudo's face as he recalled the sacred golden triangles upon his skin earlier. Things were certainly looking up for the Gerudo King, weren't they?_

_He took the boy and girl into his arms though a tall girl floated before him when he was about to escape. He knelt down in respect. "Din. . ."_

"Bearer of my Power, I can only allow you to take the one that you first came here for. The boy's time will come soon and you must be patient."_ The Goddess told the Power-full (pun intended) one._

_The Gerudo male groaned in annoyance, though soon returned the boy to his sleeping spot. "I'll be back for you soon, boy." The Goddess disappeared and the Gerudo slipped out into the night, mounted his horse and rode out with the one he wanted finally._

_As soon as he returned to Hyrule Field, the child began waking up from the movement of the mammal. He grinned at her when her eyes widened and her struggling began once more._

_"Shush." He help a finger on the silk where her lips were. "Everything will be okay, my Gerudo Flower. You are mine now and you won't be able to escape me _ever again_." Tears streamed down her face, and he knew who she was thinking about. "And your Hero can't save you either."_

_He laughed evilly as he released his finger, causing her to try to scream and cry out, riding off into the west as his Gerudo Flower kicked and screamed._

* * *

"Link! Are you alright?!" Navi's voice draws me back. I lie in the Temple of Time, hours away from where I was however long ago before.

"I-I think I am, Navi, but I need to get the Spirit Temple done as fast as possible. There's a Flower I need to rescue from the desert."

* * *

(Chloe's POV)

"Who bears Courage?! You lived with the boy for seven years for Din's sake! Who is he?!" Ganondorf has been shouting this in my face for what feels like generations. He has found out who bears Wisdom, which worries me, though he doesn't know that Link bear Courage.

"I don't know. My memory of that was taken away when I traveled through time into this age. I honestly don't know who bears Courage. I only know that you hold Power." I lie, trying to sound real when he can see right through my lies when he punches me hard across the face.

_You're used to it, Chloe_, I tell myself when my eyes fill with tears._ Only a bit of time away from it. Buck up and get used to it!_

He grabs my cheeks between his fingers and holds a knife under my chin, moving within milimetres of my face. "Now, my little Gerudo Flower, you're going to tell me _exactly_ _who_ he is and _where_ he is or this Flower will be about to Wilt under the Gerudo sun." I gulp, knowing exactly what he means from the many years of traveling and going on the run.

When a sacrifice, almost always women, is made in Gerudo Valley: the sacrifice is strapped to one of the towering poles in the sandy desert **(A/N: The ones that lead you through the sandstorm before you are guided by the ghost)**, slowly melting under the Gerudo sun with a pure-red rose from their own tribe (Hylian, Zora etc.) in their mouth; doomed to die alone under the power of the Gerudo with no way out.

I've heard of many husbands who gave up their wives in this way. I think it's sick and wrong . . . but I am willing to endure it for Link's protection.

"Fine, let me Wilt. Even if I knew his name, I would never betray him like that." I spit in his face, anger flushing his features.

He draws away and turns to his Gerudo followers, gesturing to me. "Prepare her for the Wilting." Is all he says before they grab me and drag me away into the blinding light.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The only thing keeping me here is the burning rope. Rope bound my wrists above my head, others wrapping my ankles around the post. Red Gerudo silk that used to float in the breeze now drapes over my shoulder like blood.

My back is slumped forwards. Three hours that feel like twelve under the white-hot sun yet I still survive, praying to the gods (wherever they are) to let this all be over soon.

Still, because it is I, the Heroine of Hyrule, Ganondorf shall seize this moment in full glory. And this is _exactly_ what he has done.

As the Gerudos pulled me through the desert and began to strap me to the post, Ganondorf came up with an idea to mock me even more. They bought me down yet covered my mouth and blindfolded as I was taken back to the Fortress. The actual time that I was tethered to the post, I was wearing the Gerudo garb but in white instead of the classic purple. My hair was tied up in the statement ponytail and jewels were around my neck and wrists that only highest Gerudo, Nabooru, wore.

I _was_ a Gerudo.

"Are you ready to give me the truth _now_, my Gerudo Flower?" Ganondorf wonders mockingly at the three-hour mark, lifting my chin up to pluck the blood-red Rose of Hylia from between my teeth – the edges already turning brown under the heat.

My mouth is parched, desperate for water. My breath is labored as sweat drips down my burning skin. This is torture at it's finest. . .

"Never." I breathe, filling the two-syllable word with as much hatred as possible. He grins and plans a kiss on my lips, wrapping the still red silk around my neck as he forces the Rose back into my mouth. I would spit it out though I am too weak to and it feels wedged between my teeth.

"Fine." He leans in close, cupping my cheek in his hand, laughing when I try to struggle away. "You were raised as a Gerudo, and you shall die as one." He laughs more as he kisses my cheek and steps back into the desert terrain, eyeing me triumphantly.

A Gerudo appears with water, like she has done every hour to barely keep me alive, though he waves her off. "No, she shall Wilt now. I shall watch as the "great" Heroine of Hyrule slowly dies under my watch!"

I stare him down with the darkest look that I can muster. This only causes him to fall into hysterics as the Gerudo leaves. "You _actually_ believe that you can make it out of here alive?! You shall forever be there, even after death! I shall pass here everyday just to laugh at your foolish mistake of underestimating me!" He shouts, moving back towards me and falling into a whisper.

"You have grown into a fine Gerudo, my little Desert Flower. But no Flowers grow in the desert, and Flowers like you shall Wilt under the sun that is my Power – submerged by the golden sands as we Gerudos mock your corpse!" He holds my head up, taking the silk and tying my hair and the post together so I am forced to watch the sun and he can marvel in my pain.

"You know, I would love to see your Hero's face if he was here to see you. Maybe I shall find him and keep you barely hanging onto your life as he sees you – that will make my day!" He declares.

_Think about who you're doing this for. He's the reason that you are here – and you shall fight it until you can no more!_ I try to put my mind straight though it just reverts back twice as fast.

And because it is me, Ganondorf will watch me Wilting not like the other poor women who have died this way. They would just be left to die, the lucky ones would be suffocated by the sandstorms here while others like me will die right under the sun; no sandstorms in sight, not even a breeze.

_I just need water . . . please, I just want wa—_

A drop splashes onto my nose. I awkwardly look around though no more fall. Oh great, now I'm thinking that it's raining in a des—

_*Drop!*_ There goes another. _*Drop!*_ And another. The amount increases so much that Ganondorf actually sees them too. "What is the meaning of this?! There is no rain in the desert!" He exclaims, looking around wildly.

My heart jolts when a new yet extremely familiar voice says: "That's thanks to a wonderful song called the Song of Storms, Ganondorf." The Gerudo King steps off to the side and turns, revealing the boy I have known for seventeen years – not all of them lived, not all of them spent being happy.

_Link. . ._

Ganondorf eyes me. "What did I say about him just? It seems that Din has answered my prayers." He turns back to Link. "Come to take back my Gerudo Flower, I see. Too bad she's wilted."

He draws the Master Sword, eyeing my sadly – knowing that this is all for him. "You want to know who bears Courage and where they were, right? Well, I happen to know more than her." As they talk, I feel the rope on my ankles cut in half with a knife, my head falling against my chest as the silk is removed and the Rose taken from my mouth. I look around to see Sheik helping me.

"T-Thank . . . you." My cracked voice barely croaks out. Sheik cuts the final set of bonds on my wrists and I tumble forwards – thankfully caught by him.

"It's okay. You're safe now."

We look back to see Ganondorf trying to grab Link, most likely having been told that he bears Courage. "Sheik! Get her out of here!" He shouts, pulling out the Ocarina of Time and throwing it in our direction.

"Don't touch my Gerudo Flower!" Ganondorf commands. "Unless you want to lose the Hero she has always wanted to protect"" Sheik still picks up the Ocarina from the sands, taking it into his possession.

I try to take the Ocarina only for him to stop me. "I have a plan that will get us all out of here. Just stay put for now." Is all he says before beginning to play the simple notes of the Serenade of Water.

_Water . . . thank-you. . ._

Blue light submerges us though I still am able to see Link being knocked to the ground as the Gerudo King brings down a knife. . .

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Pure water suddenly fills my mouth as I take in sharp, heavy gasps for air. _This Flower shall live on for a while yet._ I look around to find Sheik and I back in Lake Hylia while Link lays on his back a few metres away, a small cut on his chest that the teleport didn't protect.

Sheik took my clothes back from the Fortress and I dress when I am finally able to. Link plants the Rose of Hylia in a spot nearby and it isn't under an hour before it looks better – how I hope to be soon.

After eating around a campfire as the night drew closer, Sheik takes us to a secret hideaway he found while traveling in Kakariko Village. Snuggling up next to Link, I thank every God, Goddess and Deity out in the universe for saving me.

_"Do not thank us. It was the Hero of Time who could not carry on without you."_ I hear spiritual voices whisper out to me as I fall asleep in his arms.

The people I have met over the years say that it is so much better to be buried alive than to Wilt under the Gerudo sun – and I believe them.

* * *

(?'S POV)

He stood before the empty post as the sun set and the day drew into a close, remembering his Flower's pain as the life sapped away from her under the sweltering desert heat.

He had let her go twice now, but he couldn't afford to do it for a third time.

Spinning around, his cape dramatically following him in the gentle breeze, the Gerudo King marched back to his Fortress – plans forming in his head on how to get his sacred Flower back.

"I will get you, my little Gerudo Flower." He muttered under his breath. "I will do whatever it takes to see you Wilt under my Power once more."

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_ Please don't say that you guys went into this lightly because you may be scared for the rest of your life . . . anyway, did you like it? I hope that you did despite the very dark themes. I did how that you liked it because I was up very late at night and in the early hours of the morning writing it on my holiday. This will be up while you wait for more Captured By Darkness and Beauty And The Beast.

~RandomButLoved~


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